


Living in a world of fire and ash

by JAKishu



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, Death, Drowning, Future, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Kid Five, Killing, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Multi, No Dolores, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Post-Apocalypse, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, immortal Klaus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 7,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26008261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JAKishu/pseuds/JAKishu
Summary: Five arrives in the future, surrounded by death and destruction. But he won´t be alone because he is lucky, God still doesn’t want Klaus in the Afterlife.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Ben Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 32
Kudos: 582





	1. Arrival

Five ran, he would show his father, would show it the world to what he is able. Balling his fist and awakening his powers he gets ready for the first jump. Everything changes, the sun is at different position, even the season changed, people were walking past him. He jumps again, winter. Snow falls from a grey sky, some of the shops were different, feeling confident about his powers Five jumps again … and stops.

Fire, all around him is fire and ash. Everything, every building is destroyed. First thought is that he had also changed location, like he normally uses his powers for but the street and the structure of the ruins around him are painfully familiar.

He turns around and runs back, passing his neighbourhood, so familiar and so strange at the same time. He arrives at the academy, or better what is left of it. The gate is half standing, carefully he enters the first step. “Vanya? Ben? Dad?” Nothing, no one answers, no noises except for the hungry flames that are looking for another piece of burning material. Five swallows and a tiny voice inside of him tells him he is afraid. Panic grows and all he wants it to return to the morning he had decided breakfast wasn’t as important as arguing with his father.

He hadn’t notice how exhausted he was after the jumps until he tried to jump back. “Come on.” He shouts into a seemingly empty world. It has no use. Accepting his fate to stay here, at least until his power is back to its full capacity Five looks around. A newspaper tells him the date but it is forgotten the second he sees the first human being. An arm sticks out of the debris, the hand is holding onto an eye. He takes it and sees the dust covered face of a blond man. On the next pile of debris lays a man with scars on his face, Five tries to wake him up but there is no use. Right behind him is a woman that could have been sleeping if not for the lack of breathing. Further is another man, wearing a feathery coat but what disturbs Five the most is the fabric free arm that shows the familiar tattoo of the umbrella academy.

Shocked and realizing what and more importantly who he is looking at Five looks at the other three bodies. The one with the open tattoo had to be Klaus, skinny and with the curly hair. The woman has to be Allision, the blond guy was definitive Luther and the fourth one is Diego. Looking around he can´t find Vanya´s or Ben´s bodies but when they are here and dead than the others were most likely too.

A sudden sound let Five jump around and stare with an open mouth at the source of the noise.


	2. Awakening

Klaus feels himself coming back. He had another nice talk with the girl on her bike aka GOD and again she doesn’t want him there. He really would love a break, she could at least keep him a bit longer but then again does he really want to return to a body that had started to compose? Not really. Yet again he fights his way back out of the dark and start to sit up. His eyes are still closed, he doesn’t want them to hurt from the light of the day. Klaus makes a check on his body, everything seems to be in the right place, pain was manageable, still he hates waking up after dying.

“That hurts.” He complains to no one and rubs his head.

“Welcome back.” He gets an answer anyway, unsurprisingly Ben is waiting for him, next to his lifeless body.

“Eight time is a charm.” Klaus smiles and open his eyes to look at his brother.

“Eight? You already died ten times.” Klaus made a head count.

“Not true, eight. I´m pretty sure. There was the bridge, the three overdoses, the stray bullet, really not my fault. The car (that was just rude), my adventure with the razor blade and of course now, the end of the world. What did I forget?” Offended that Ben wouldn’t believe he can count his own deaths, self-inflicted or others.

“You forgot the drowning. You were so out of as you came out at the shore that you walked into the next ally and passed out. The next morning you didn’t remember it. But believe me, 15 minutes under water means you were dead.”

“Ok, maybe nine, but that’s all. I didn’t die from something else, right?.” What could Ben mean, he had three fatal overdoses, the others don’t count he didn’t die then.

“Two years ago you froze to death behind a dumpster.” Speechless Klaus looks up at his brother who had his arms folded and waited for a reply. He knows Ben wouldn’t or even couldn’t lie to him.

“Yes ok, ten times. Why didn’t you say something about me freezing to death. Would have been nice to know.” Klaus starts to free his coat from ash and dust that had collected itself on it while he slept (was dead).

“You didn’t remember and you were already in a bad place. I was just happy that you came back and decided to stay in one of the shelters the next night.

“Ok, Benny-boy what next? Because after we saw this lovely piece of moon crush the earth I really think we need a plan.” He doesn’t have to look around further to see the destruction left behind by it.

“You could start by talking to Five.” That pulls Klaus out of his thoughts.

“Five?” Klaus follows Ben´s arm, pointing at something behind him. And there he was, Five. Not one day older than thirteen. Still in this stupid uniform and a very strange and untypical look on his face. Confusion.


	3. Meeting

“Fivey.” Klaus jumps up and reaches his very much alive brother and hugs him. Surprisingly Five let him. He had never been one for physical affection, or showing affection in any kind of way. “Where have you been?”

Still confused Five seems to get a hold on himself and his emotion. After the panic of being alone in an apocalyptic world he had found his brother, who apparently couldn’t die but that is a topic for a later tie. “I just came here.” Still not completely there he answers lamely.

“I´ve missed you.” A huge smile on his face and his hands on little Five´s arms Klaus looks him up, searches for injuries of any kind but he seems fine.

“What happened here.” His little brother (in size) asks.

“Oh you know, the apocalypse. Vanya destroyed the moon, we all died. The usual, but I think we should find something to eat. You must be hungry.” He turns to his side. “How about waffles, you love waffles, right.” These words weren’t spoken to Five.

“Who are you talking to and what do you mean with Vanya destroyed the moon?” Five tries to see who ever Klaus is seeing and talking too.

Klaus let balls his fists and his hands glow in a fade blue light, similar to his own hand when he uses his powers. “I´m talking to Ben.” And right there where a second ago was nothing but air appears his other brother, completely in blue but Five recognizes Ben´s eyes everywhere.

“Hi Five.” Ben offers with a small smile. They both notice that Klaus was already thinking of getting food of them.

“Let´s go I´m hungry.” Klaus just turns and walks passed the gravel and the fires, ignores the ash falling around him as the bodies of his brothers and sisters. And Five just watches him, next to his apparently dead brother whose eyes are filled with sadness.


	4. Information

“Wait.” Five calls but decided to better follow the only (living) brother he has. Ben is right beside him walking like he is still alive, it was strange to watch. “Ben what is wrong with him?”

Ben sighs (even ghost can do that). “It´s kind of a side effect I would call it. He isn’t really insane but with every death he loses a piece of himself, his soul. I don´t know. It took me a few deaths to notice the change. Bevor you ask, he is still Klaus but there are pieces missing. One is the addiction. Believe me I am very grateful for that but it’s not only the drugs he had caving for. No, most times I have to force him to eat or drink anything. To sleep or you know basic human needs. He just ignores it. That he runs off to find something to eat, it´s more for you than for him.” Ben looks down at Five to see if his words made any sense. Since they had find out Klaus can´t die his live (or better hid death) had become very difficult. Now he not only has a suicidal brother, he has one that can jump from bridges, drown himself, cut his arms open and overdoses on drugs without consequences. Klaus comes back depressed and hurt by not being able to die. Yes, the last death hadn’t been intended it didn’t mean that Klaus cares about it.

Over the years Ben had often ask Klaus in his more awake moments, why he did drugs, at least while he was still alive. As soon as Ben was one of the ghosts haunting him he didn’t need to ask WHY, he would ask how he was still sane enough to decide, to feel, to do anything and not roll up in a ball on the ground in a catatonic state.

After the caving for drugs got taken away by one of his deaths (ironically not one of the OD´s), Klaus learned to control his powers and discovers he can do many things. Like making Ben visible and corporal, he could order whole army´s if he wants to, create ghost free zones and of course his favourite, send them over into the afterlife.

“Ok, let´s ignore Klaus and his immortality for a second but I still want to know more about that and the drugs, how bad it was. But what did he mean with Vanya and the moon?” Ben points at the sky and through the clouds and ash-rain he sees the remaining of what had once been the moon. Floating rocks in the sky where looking down on them.


	5. Powers

“Vanya discovered she has powers too. More like her killer-boyfriend provoked the reaction. She couldn’t control it. Remember the medication Dad gave her. He used it to suppress her powers and made Allison rumour us into forgetting she had them. Made her think she was ordinary. Well you can imagine how that ended.” Benn looks around. “You don’t need to imagine it, you see the result. We never treated her right as children and she wouldn’t listen to any of us. Without proper control or training her powers took her over, we tried to stop her but you know how well the Umbrella Academy works together. In the end she let some light ray out of her body strong enough to destroy the moon, a huge piece fall onto the earth and yeah here we are.” Ben offers with a nod towards the closed (burn down) building that had once been a diner.

“Ben, I can´t find waffles in here.” Klaus calls out from the destroyed building.

“We can try a supermarket, in the frozen department could be a few waffles.” Klaus smiles and walks takes the road to his right, at the end of the road were once a small supermarket.

“Why don’t you try to stop him? Talk to him that we have other, more important worries than waffles.” Five questions.

“There is no use. He won´t listen, he will ignore me and worst case ban me until he feels like talking to me again.” Five and Ben follow Klaus.

“What can we do?” Five should worry about the future but this version of his brother worries him more. As he had left Klaus was this shy, frighten boy. Who just discovered he can make the ghost go away with alcohol and weed. Who hates the dark and small spaces. Who would crawl into his bed (most times Ben´s, Diego´s or Vanya´s) but sometimes he came to him holding onto Five like a lifeline. What happened in all this years he had been away?

“I … Five. I´ve been dead for 12 years, you were gone for nearly 17. After my death Klaus left the Academy. He was already on the hard drugs, he didn’t care for his life and more than once died because of his lifestyle choices. The pieces that Klaus is missing can´t be returned to him they are gone. This strange version of him is all that I … is all we have left. I promised him to stay by his side. It doesn’t mean I have a solution for it. The only thing I can do is stay.”


	6. Calculation

Slowly Five begins to understand. Their childhood wasn’t perfect, far from it and his departure didn’t make it easier for his siblings. Ben´s death could even been avoided but that was another question for later. Klaus downwards spiral started way before he left.

The only solution that appears in his mind is going back, right now. Back to the morning he thought arrogantly about his powers and selfishly jumped, left them alone. Thinking about it, that was only a few hours ago. The world had been alright at that time.

Five follows his now older brother, locking at his back, he is still seeing the frighten boy that crawled into his bed. Who trusted him to keep the monsters (ghosts) away for the night. They enter the destroyed building; a few letters of the word SUPERMARKET are still attached to the roof or what is left of it. Klaus makes his way to the back of the shop where the freezers for the frozen food are located. Of course none of the cooling systems are working anymore but they don’t want frozen waffles. What they do for the coming days (months? Years?) Five doesn’t want to think about it.

His brain is already working on a way to get back, back to the time he left. It is probably easier to get back a few days to stop the apocalypse but looking at his brother searching for food tells him he needs to go back further. Then what use does it have to save the world when he loses his brother to his (apparently soul-consuming) powers.

“Five I found them.” Klaus smiles at him and offers a box of not-frozen waffles to him. Five takes it with a nod. His brain is trying to calculate an equation to make it possible to return. He needs a library and search for some books and …

His thoughts came to a stop as Klaus offers the other box of waffles to Ben. “Klaus I´m dead. I don’t need food. But thank you. You should eat them. You like waffles, remember.” Only hearing this conversation told Five everything he needs to know about what Klaus is missing.

His brother is worried about them, but not about himself. He forgets that Ben is dead, painfully obvious to Five but not for Klaus. And he needs someone that reminds him of thinks he likes. Conversations like this must have happened before when Bens look is any indication.

“Thank you Klaus. Would you mind coming to the library with me?” Five tries to get them going. He needs to find a solution as fast as he can.

Klaus nods, his mouth is full of waffles and he follows him. He will figure it out and fix Klaus and his family … and ok saving the world.


	7. Library

Five is too nice, Klaus thinks. He follows his brother without commenting on it. He likes Five, he really had missed him but he was strange. Of course it could be the fact that his little brother arrived in an apocalyptic world, maybe he is in shock. He let Klaus hug him and didn’t really fight against the whole waffle thing. He takes another bite and looks around. He sees the ghost of the dead, more than normally but not as many as he had thought.

His mind is wandering. He is here and without Five or Ben he would be alone. He has no idea what will happen next. His powers are no use for saving the world. A future in this world seems kind of strange. As far as he can tell, they are the last living people alive. Immortality is just shit. Who thought that not dying could be such a mood-killer. He is thankful that he is back for only one reason, Five isn’t alone. But everything else he had to life with wasn’t worth it.

Looking at Ben he hopes his brother is happy that he eats. He had only said he is hungry to motivate Five in doing something, he doesn’t feel it and Klaus knows that without Ben he would die of starvation more often. Sadly he had to remind himself that Ben is dead, he always forgets it, he isn’t sure why. As if the part of his memory was mission. He knows Ben died, he attended a funeral but he still sees Ben, he can even feel him but his brother is right he is dead and sometimes he forgets it.

Ben is worried about him and Klaus has already stopped trying to make him not worry. Ben will always worry, that’s how he is. Maybe they can find a way to live out here or maybe Five has already a plan to leave. He will be lonely but Ben is still here. He promised to stay and until the day he can stay dead he hopes his brother will keep this promise.

As he eats the last of the waffles they arrive of the remaining of the library, it isn’t completely burned down but most of the building structure is destroyed. Many books lay around them.

“Klaus, Ben I need all the books about time travel, physics, mathematics and every related topic you can think of.” Five says and starts digging through the piles of books. Ben follows and starts at a different corner. Klaus watches his brothers for a few seconds before he remembers that Five had ask him too. He starts to walk in further back and starts looking for time travel books.

“He really wants to leave.” Klaus whispers quietly into the emptiness.


	8. Tired

Klaus, Ben and Five found lots of books, most of them readable. Five found a nice cosy corner and starts reading. Klaus is still looking through the destroyed library but isn’t sure what he is looking for. He feels restless, he is missing something and he has the feeling that if he would ask Ben what to do he had no answer that would help him. The day has still a few hours of light left, most of the fire had stopped and he got used to the constant falling ash in the air.

“Five I will be out for a while, but I come back before the dark. Would you like Ben as company?” Klaus had to send Ben back to being a ghost, not able to touch or talk to anyone except Klaus, he would do his best to keep him corporal while he is gone so Five doesn’t have to be lonely. He would manage for a few hours.

“Where are you going?” Five questions without looking up from his book, he is already deep focus on his study to go back and isn’t really paying attention.

“Just out. Maybe finding something to eat or some notebooks for you.” Five waves his hand and returns his whole concentration back at his book. “Ben it seems like it is us again. Let´s go.” Ben follows him out, only for Klaus visible again. They make their way pass a few shops and even when he had only said it for Five to think he has a plan, he picks up a few notebooks and pencils so his brother can write down the theories he has.

“That´s nice of you.” Ben praises him like a child that does something good. He knows something is wrong with him, he is missing parts, Ben tried to explain it to him but he didn’t get it completely, he only knows that dying takes more of him away, that’s the reason he tries to avoid it.

He isn’t sure what takes him back to the Academy, he had spent year trying to forget this place even exist. But it is like everything he does nowadays he feels like doing it so he does it. Easy. Locating the backyard of the academy, where once had stand Ben´s stature proudly is enough room on the grass for what he intends to do. Without consulting Ben he finds the garden shed and takes a shovel. 

“Klaus what are you trying to do?” Ben questions. Klaus doesn’t feel like talking so he points to the gravel piles on the street where their dead siblings are lying, now hidden from their view. “Oh. Can I help?”

Klaus thinks about it. Digging graves for their siblings is something he felt like doing. He could have ask Five to join but he was busy researching. Ben could help carrying the bodies but digging was something he wants to do alone. It feels like he has to do it on his own. “Later.” Klaus answers and Ben let him continue to work, without questioning his doing or the need to do it alone. He is just there, staying at his side as he had promised all this years ago.


	9. Goodbye

Digging four graves sound hard, it was even harder to do it. Klaus wasn’t strong like Luther or had a well-trained body like Diego, still he manage it. As it came to bury them he made Ben corporal to help him. Allison and Diego weren’t that heavy but for Luther they had needed both of their combine strength. Vanya´s body was still inside the academy, they got her last, not because she had destroyed the world or the stupid number system. No the only reason they got her last is that Klaus could feel her ghost nearby. He hadn’t really felt her before and he was sure his other siblings are gone to the afterlife but Vanya wasn’t. Maybe he had needed some time to wake up from getting overpowered by her powers. Who knows?

She was waiting for them, right next to her body, something most ghosts avoid, a reminder of being alive. “Hey sis.” Klaus waves his ´hello´ hand, she looks up, tears in her eyes.

“Klaus, Ben.” She offers them a small smile; she had already accepted her situation and understands what happens. Some ghost take centuries to get it. Her eyes have lost the white and cold look, she is back to being their loving little sister, just dead Klaus reminded himself. It was easier to make out the fact because of the body in the white suit, not like Ben. Ben is dead.

“Ben how about you get Five. I will finish here and after that we can all say our goodbyes.” Ben nods and walks away.

“You want to see Five right?” Vanya´s eyes sparkle. “Good, than let us finish that and we can have a nice chat. I can feel how you are already getting pulled away from here.” Vanya´s body was light enough for him to carry her alone. She had been the smallest most of their life. Vanya watches him while he buried her. She doesn’t say a word at first, just watching him.

“Aren´t you angry with me for doing that?” Klaus shakes his head. “Why, I hurt you. I hurt them.” She pointed at the other three graves already filled up with the soil he had taken out before.

“We had hurt you too. It´s our fault and yours and dad´s. We are all guilty about the whole thing. But don’t worry. Five wants to go back in time and fix everything. He will be able to help you.” She watches her body disappear under the soil, her white suit covered with it.

When he is done Five and Ben return. Vanya is corporal too. Klaus made her as soon as he felt Ben returning. Surprised he finds them carrying four rocks. They lay them down on the graves. Headstones for their siblings. Ben´s grave is here too. Five of the seven siblings are buried here in the garden. Klaus doesn’t feel like saying something he let Five and Vanya talk and after they all say goodbye to her and the others they return to the library.

The first sundown in this new world follows them back. Ben reminds them both that they need some blankets for the night. Five carries them and Klaus gets some wood pieces that aren’t burned for a fire later. He hadn’t thought about the cold night ahead. It’s April and in the sun you don’t feel it but Ben has a point. He is already used to taking care of him, on the streets and everywhere else. Five seems to be in his own mind and hadn’t thought about it. He smiles a bit. Without Ben they would probably die of starvation and the cold. At least one of them had their basic human needs in mind.


	10. Solution

Five is coming closer to an answer, sadly all his possibilities are dangerous and could cause side effects like destroying every cell in his body or erasing his mind … nothing Five wants to endure. The most difficult part is the aiming at the right point of time. The place isn’t as important, even if he lands somewhere in the Sahara desert he will find his way back home. The date has to be the correct one.

Klaus is mostly busy by searching for food for him, reminding him to eat, most of this comes from Ben. He also plays card games with Ben to spend some down time. He has no real plan and Five thinks that both of his brother (the living and the dead one) believe in him fining a solution. That would erase this timeline and they don’t have to spend the rest of eternity here in this apocalyptic world.

Sometimes Five wonders how Klaus´ immortality works. He can see that his seeing the dead and making ghost corporal is related but how comes in the price he has to pay for it. It´s not like any of their siblings or his own ability has a price. Good that’s also wrong, it takes their energy, whatever that means but it doesn’t take needs, feelings or memories. Something else he can start to research on as soon as he had returned home.

In the end is the solution for his problem relatively easy. Surprisingly it is Klaus who offers the spark that let the pieces in his head connect.

“Five, how did it feel to jump forward in time?” Klaus questions after he had lost against Ben a third time in a row and wasn’t in the mood for another round.

Five has to think about it. When he jumps through space it’s like taking a chess piece from the board and placing it at another position. Only seeing what happens on the chessboard itself. As he had jumped forward in time it was like … “It was like pushing doors open. As if a closed door had blocked my way and I had to use all my strength to get through it.”

Klaus nods as if he understands, maybe he does. “And when you want to go back in time?” Five shrugs his shoulders. He has no idea, it´s not like it had worked until now. “Could it be that you try to push these doors open again.” Five nods. “Then how about you try to leave the room and close the doors on you way out. I mean you came here by running through a door, maybe you just have to go back through the same door. The door is already open, nothing you have to use strength on, just step into the flow.” Klaus´ hands make a waving motion and in Five´s mind appears a light.

Now he knows exactly how to go back.


	11. Return

Five has collected all the necessary information he needs to prevent the apocalypse. First of all letting all know about Vanya´s power, then keeping the medication their father gives her away and last train her with the help of their siblings. They have to work together. That is what he has to do with Vanya, now the other issue, Klaus. Good he still has to consider Ben but after all he heard his brother will never die when they work together as a team.

It is Ben´s idea that gives him a way to get to Klaus, the young Klaus. The one that started on the light drugs, the one their father had already given up on. The child that will need his support, not only his but everyone´s.

“How about you write your younger self a letter. You will know best how to say the right words, make sure to tell him to stop the drugs, they started it.” Ben offers Klaus some of the paper he had brought back for Five. Klaus isn’t sure that´s the best way but nothing better comes to his mind. He things back to his brother, after spending the last days with this adult version he already starts to forget the 13 year old Klaus. The one that was always crying from nightmares and wanted to stay in their beds, Klaus who would rather lay in bed then get any special attention from their father, who doesn’t want his powers and would swop with Vanya in a second.

“Ahm Klaus?” Five doesn’t really want to disturb the writing process but seeing that nearly nothing had ended on paper he doesn’t feel too bad. “You can offer your younger self something as a promise for keeping clean.” Five walks over and whispers words into his brother´s ears he had never thought of saying.

Klaus smiles and really starts to write. While he was busy Ben is keeping his distance. This letter, Klaus words to himself is private. No one except him will ever read them. As he was finished he folds the paper and puts it into an envelope. Before Klaus closes it he stops.

Silver shining dog tags lay in his hand; these hadn’t left him since he pulled them off his lover’s dead body. There was still a bit of blood on them, at least Klaus imagine that it is still there. A small part of his lover but to make that work he would have to let go of this item. Klaus can argue with himself, he can offer rational arguments for his action and if that works that version of him in the apocalypse will disappear. Still letting go of the most important item he had ever owned was hard.

Klaus sighs, kisses the tags one last time before he lets them slip into the envelope and seals it. He offers it to Five who takes the letter with care and puts it into his inner breast pocket. “Don´t lose it or I will find a way to haunt you until the end of times.” Klaus had never been more serious in his life.


	12. Home

Five, shocked by the serious and a bit afraid of his brother nods. He would do everything in his power to deliver the message and the item in it. Going home will be strange. He had seen his siblings as adults, most of them dead but still. He had talked to an adult Vanya who had offer him advice how to reach her. He had made a plan to avoid Dad and any suspicion that will follow after his return. He has planned that no one except his siblings will learn the truth. They will have to stand together and fight for their freedom.

Looking at Klaus who is discussing with Ben about something he knows he will miss him. Five feels bad for leaving him (or both of them) here but he can´t take them with him. It will be difficult enough without passengers and he doubt that taking them would help. Ben would still be dead and Klaus … Klaus would still be missing parts of himself, will still have died ten times. He can´t take them but hopefully everything will work out.

By using his powers in a different way, where he has no experience in will be hart but considering that he hadn’t jumped forward in time before his little adventure it might just work. It will be different in a way that he hasn’t to use force, more like he can´t force his way through time. If he arrives back at home, with his siblings when they are all 13 he will most likely never try the time jumping again. Not if he can avoid it.

Now the hart part, he has to say goodbye. Lots of goodbyes in a world with only two living people. “Klaus, Ben I think I am ready.” Both of them stop their bickering and look at him. “I …” Five is surprised but finding the right words seem impossible.

“You don’t have to say anything. Fix this whole thing and maybe give us a hug before you leave. We both know someone here is a sucker for hugs.” Ben winks at him, he doesn’t need to point at Klaus. Five smiles and hugs both of them.

“See you in 2002.” Five waves at them before closing his eyes. He sees the doors he had broken through in order to get to 2019. He lets his power flow and slowly walks through them, closes them after passing, like Klaus suggested. As he passes the last door and it closes he crushes right into a solid surface.


	13. Back

The sound of surprised people reaches his ears and Five opens his eyes. He looks right into his father’s cold eyes. Five swallows, not the perfect landing he had hoped for but at least he isn’t dead and looking around at his siblings he had at least arrived at the right time. On top of the breakfast table, as he said not perfect. “Number 5 what is this nonsense. You weren’t excused from the table and I forbid behaviour like this. Go to your room.” To shocked and very tired after his journey. Five just climbed down from the table ignored all their staring and walks up to his room. He would sleep and after that get his siblings for a secret family meeting.

His mom is waiting for him at the staircase. “I got the bath ready for you to freshen up a bit.” She smiles her always present smile and Five nods. He stinks like smoke and unwashed for days. The apocalyptic world has no showers, or prober fresh clothes. If he had spent more time there he would have get something ´fresher` but that isn’t important now. He still wonders why his father hadn’t mentioned the ash and dirt he left behind, a problem for another day. After a very long and hot shower Five crushes into his bed and falls asleep a second later.

That evening, after their lessons and training Five gets his siblings, one by one and gets them to the attic. The have questions, they had notice his appearance and after he had silence them he told them what had happened (will happen in the future). He tells them about Vanya and her powers, that they need to start training her after getting her off the medication. He told them about Ben dead and an immortal Klaus that had spent time with him. Told them what they told him about their father.

Together they make a plan, a plan to avoid their father, a plan for Vanya´s training, a plan to prevent anyone from dying. Five very much stressed that Klaus is not allowed to die; he didn’t say anything about the price he pays but the other see right through him. And very important a plan to prevent the apocalypse from happening.

At the end of their meeting they were all exhausted about all the information they got, the plans to keep safe. Vanya was on the one side very happy to have powers on the other side was she afraid about them and their potential destructive outcome. But Five doesn’t worry too much about it. They would get a way for her to control it.

Five holds Klaus back and offers him the letter. Without saying a word he teleports back in his room. He is pretty sure in a few minutes someone will knock and get him to keep his promise and somehow Five doesn’t mind.


	14. Letter

_Dear younger me,_

_Get your act together! Yes that doesn’t sound really nice of me but we and I mean you with it have pretty much fucked up our life. So let me explain a few things to you. Five might tell you that you can´t die. If not here I am telling you that you are immortal. However that doesn’t mean you can walk around and kill yourself with drugs or other things. Dying costs you a lot. You will lose things like the feeling to need something, connections to people you know are important but you can´t feel it anymore. Believe me when I tell you that you don’t want to lose these things. I have one of our brothers following me as a ghost, who has to remind me to eat and tell me what to do, what I used to like. Definitive not his job._

_First things first. You need to stop the drugs, for you it´s still early enough to stop without the consequences. I write you a manual for our powers how you can use them, with a bit of training you will be able to sleep in a room without ghosts and send the annoying ones into the afterlife._

_Five will also give you something that is very important to me. The dog tags you are holding belong to the first and only person I loved more than myself. He was a beautiful person and I love him. What is this for you, you might ask? His name was Dave, he died and he loved us more than anything else in this world. More than life itself. He told me so. And even if you will never meet him, there is a person out there that loves you. You have to remember that. Whenever you doubting yourself, your siblings and everyone around you, think of Dave. He loves you and all of your little imperfections. Keep the tags safe, it´s the only thing I have left of him._

_I think that covers most of it, on the back you find the manual and I hope you won´t become me. This is your chance. Don´t wasted. You can trust your siblings; they love you even when we are all bad at showing it._

_Yours (2019 version of yourself)_

_P. S. Five promised to let you sleep in his bed every night when you stop the drugs. When you feel scared or lonely or can´t really control your powers yet, just go to him. Ben and Diego are of course another option but Five will never send you away._

_I guess I scared him._


	15. New World

Klaus holds the tags in his hand, they feel heavier as they have a right to be but he likes them. The cool material feels nice on his skin. “Dave. Someone who loves me.” He pulls the chain over his head and let the tags fall against his chest and smiles. After looking at them for a minute and reading the name on them again he hides the tags under his shirt. With the letter still in his hands he walks downstairs. He hadn’t read the manual; he will do so in the morning. There is no way he will continue with the alcohol and drugs when he has a better way. After a quick stop at his room where he finds all weed he had stored he goes to the bathroom and flushes everything he has down.

He doesn’t want to be alone in his room, like most nights he won´t be able to sleep anyway (there is a reason for the drugs in his room). So Klaus makes his way to the door that belongs to a room he knows now will never again be locked for him.

Without knocking Klaus enters and closes the door silently. “Five?” Klaus ask into the darkness. He doesn’t like the dark room of his siblings but when he has to choose between fairy lights and a warm body, the living thing will win every time.

“You can turn on the light on my desk.” Five says. Klaus does so and climbs into the bed beside his brother.

“You really mean that? You know me being here, is that really ok?” He has to make sure. He doesn’t want this place out of pity or guilt or some other reason that doesn’t include his brother loving him.

“Yes Klaus. That is not only for you, after what I have seen I really like someone with me. Just to make sure you alright and save and breathing and alive.” Klaus gets closer to Five and he feels an arm over his side pulling him even closer. This is perfect, their home isn’t perfect or their family but they will try to fix everything they can and this right here, sharing a bed with his brother is the best way to start a new life.


End file.
